


Nothing Like You and I

by aquarianhussy



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Caroline x Stefan, Caroline/Stefan, Character Death, Daroline, F/M, Funeral, Ghosts, Songfic, Stefan x Caroline, steroline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-02
Updated: 2014-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-14 08:53:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1260415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquarianhussy/pseuds/aquarianhussy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'We spent some time together crying,<br/>spent some time just trying,<br/>to let each other go.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothing Like You and I

**Author's Note:**

> This is an alternate universe fic and let's be honest, if I owned TVD, I'd be working with higher technology than the computer I've got.
> 
>   
> Definite Steroline, plus some Daroline.  
> I'm sorry, but I love them with Caroline.  
> This is my first Vampire Diaries fiction and it's an edit of an earlier work I did posted on fanfiction.net.  
> I've added and taken away some things to make this a better read.  
> I strongly suggest you listen to 'Nothing Like You and I' by The Parishers, it inspired this piece.  
> Happy reading, I hope you enjoy it!

 

The funeral wasn't large.

 

It was simple.

Minimalistic.

Just like he would've wanted.

The casket was black, shiny silver plated handles and corners were almost too bright in the sunlight reflecting off of the snow. The sky above her had been a traitorous blue. The clouds seemed too happy and fluffy for the events of that day.

 

Caroline could still tell you what everyone was wearing; could recite the most memorable lines from the most meaningful eulogies; could tell you exactly what cufflinks she had handpicked for _him_ after Damon had told her to deal with it. Well, he didn’t use so many words. Damon had grunted from behind a tumbler of whatever century old liquor he’d chosen to help him cope with the death of his brother when Caroline asked if arrangements had been made. None of them had particularly jumped on board with the idea. They all seemed content with getting lost inside their own memories of a broody smile and easy laugh. Caroline, though, in all her effort to remain as human as possible was firm in her decision. He needed a funeral. _They_ needed a funeral. They needed to say **goodbye** , whether they knew it or not.

 

_Damon shuffled to the liquor cabinet only to find it empty, “Blondie.” His declaration was every bit as accusatory as he intended it to be when he turned to the left to find her standing, in that easy way of hers, arms crossed over her chest._

_“Your brother’s funeral is tomorrow. You’ve went through all the whiskey and haven’t showered in three days.” Caroline took a few steps forward, her nose wrinkling. “I could smell you from the driveway, which means you need to get your ass upstairs and under some hot water before, and so help me God, I scrub your skin off with a brillo pad.”_

_It only took him another glance in her direction for Damon to realize she was most likely going to hold good on her threat. Eyes rolled and he grumbled, all the while taking the stairs towards his bathroom._

_The next day found them seated next to each other, listening to people recount their memories of the person they both loved the most. Damon remained silent, he had no words for any of them. Instead of replaying their love/hate relationship, he pulled his brother’s sunwalking ring from his pocket and took Caroline’s hand in his own, sliding it on her finger. No one protested. They all knew it belonged to her, that Stefan’s light belonged with Caroline. After Damon, it had been her turn, and all she could do was cry._

She couldn't tell you why, after almost fifteen years, all of those things were still so fresh in her memory. Why, after ten years of her being gone, she still let out a sigh of relief after driving passed the ‘Mystic Falls’ sign on the highway. Caroline smiled, a smile she had almost lost forever, when she made the right turn into the driveway of the Boarding House.

 

_The Boarding House had become more of a second home to her in the time following Stefan’s death than it had before. It was the third anniversary. Three years to the day. Damon found her sitting by the fireplace in one of their large armchairs, a place that had almost seemed sacred to her. Across from her, the other chair sat empty. Just imagining the thoughts the blonde was having made the elder Salvatore shake his head. He’d always known that people dealt with death and loss differently. Stefan’s death had taken its toll on them all. Caroline had been the one to hold them all together. But, now it seemed, absorbing all of their pain had finally gotten to her._

_“Penny for your thoughts?”_

_She’d felt him before he spoke, it had been his blood to make her after all, “Elena called. I told her you left your phone here. She said to call her as soon as you had time, she sounded upset.”_

_“I’m sure she is, today is…” And Damon trailed off, he knew he didn’t need to remind her what today was. Instead, he promised to call Elena back later and dismissed himself to his room. He had to do something. Caroline was losing herself. Soon, the switch would flip and Damon didn’t want to have to convince her to turn it back on because he knew he’d be too tempted to turn his off and join her. So, after pouring over ideas of how to give Caroline back her smile and several failed attempts over the years, Damon tucked they key to Stefan’s motorcycle in his pocket._

_It took him nearly half an hour to convince her to come outside. There were a lot of eye rolls and huffs, but the blonde finally conceded because, if he was anything, Damon was persistent. Waiting for her was Stefan’s motorcycle, an old leather jacket of his and two helmets. Just the sight was enough to make her chest ache and her eyes burn. Before she could react, before she could tell Damon to take it back to the garage and leave her alone, she had a helmet on her head and he was holding Stefan’s jacket out to her._

_“Put it on already, we’ve got places to be.”_

_The words were gentle, but Damon wasn’t kidding around and Caroline didn’t understand how she’d gotten so lucky to have such a friend in him. It was that thought, along with the feel of the leather against her arms that gave Caroline back her, albeit watery, smile._

 

Her reunion with Damon had been exactly what she’d hoped for. He was still Damon. Met her at the door with a tumbler of Scotch and that quirk of his lips that said more than any of his words ever did. He had been the only one to keep in touch with her regularly. Caroline didn’t fault the others for that. They had lives of their own now. Lives that just so happened to pull her back home. Matt had finally been turned and he and Elena were getting married. The invitation called her back to her hometown, a place she hadn’t been in ten years. She had left after Damon kissed her five years to the day that their world got a little darker. She told him he was lonely and scared, that she was safe to him, a security blanket almost. That’s when she’d decided to leave. Not for herself, but for him. Damon needed to be Damon and Caroline needed to be Caroline.

 

He insisted she stay, she insisted on one condition; She got to shower first, because he hogged all the hot water. It was a comfortable banter they fell back into, and the sight of them arriving together at The Gilbert-Donovan nuptials wasn’t as shocking as it would have been decades ago. It didn’t take long before the doppelganger and her high school sweetheart were man and wife, which left Caroline a bit forlorn and slightly jealous. It always worked out for Elena. Everything did. Not that she didn’t deserve it, but why couldn’t Caroline have something that made her happy without having it taken away?

 

 

“Hey you,” Caroline knelt on the dry ground, not caring if the toes of her heels were being ruined. When would she ever wear tangerine colored stilettos again, anyway? She pulled at some of the weeds around the bottom of the stone, “It’s been a long time, I can understand the silent treatment.”

She plopped her bridesmaid bouquet in the place where the dead flowers had been, they were a mix of orange and white roses, “Matt and Elena got married today. Damon got drunk and I’m…here.” With a soft sort of chuckle, Caroline ran her fingers over the words etched in the marble.

**Brother. Friend. Savior.**

The last of them had been the most true to her. He’d been her hero for as long as she could remember. He still was, “I know I never spoke at your funeral. After Damon gave me your ring, it was all I could do to keep myself together. I’ve thought about what I should have said for years, Stefan, if I could only have another chance at it.” It was a battle to keep her tears at bay, but Caroline needed to do this. She needed to tell him. Licking over her lips, she closed her eyes and spoke, “Stefan Salvatore was my best friend. He promised me, one night, that he would never let anything happen to me. He was my hero, my savior.” Her shoulders shook, stilled only by a strong hand, its owner had stood by until he knew she needed some reassurance.

“Go on,” Damon nodded gently at her, his own eyes moving to his brother’s headstone.

Caroline wiped under her eyes before reaching out to lay her hand against his name, “The day he died, I lost pieces of me I will never get back. I knew then what all those love stories had been written about. I had been completely in love with him and he never knew.” Her words had stopped if only a moment before they started again, this time addressing him directly, a bit more shaky than before, “Stefan, I love you. I love you the same today as the day you left us. I wish you knew, I wish I would’ve said something. More than anything, I wish you were here, but you’re not. You stuck me with Damon, you bastard.” That earned a chuckle from the man standing beside her, “And he kissed me, can you believe that? I mean it was years ago, but what exactly was that all about? He’s such a snake.”

 

“Alright,” Damon intervened, he could tell she was trying to talk herself out of being so upset, “C’mon Blondie, we’ve got family members to entertain and a happy couple to congratulate.” Urging her up, the elder brother threw an arm around her neck, his lips pressed against her temple.

It was a gesture that Caroline accepted, responding with her own arm moving around his waist, “See? So bossy. How did you live with him for all those years? No wonder you tried to murder him every decade.”

 

A somber silence fell between them and the two vampires looked down at the stone, both of their hearts aching the same as they had the day Rebekah had tried end Caroline’s immortal life and Stefan had played her hero one last time. The blonde knew that what she would have with Damon wouldn’t compare to what she could have had with his brother. How can you love someone when your heart is missing?

“Goodbye Stefan.”

“See ya, brother.”

 

Stefan watched them walk away bickering and he couldn’t help but smile. Damon and Caroline had each other, they were going to be just fine.

His words fell on deaf ears, but he had heard every word she had said. He knew she felt like her heart had left with him, but what she hadn’t known was that he had left his with her.

“I knew, Care and I love you, too.”

 

 

_There's nothing like you and I,_

_so why do I even try?_

 

 

 

 


End file.
